Monday, June 23, 2014

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

I've been absent from this meme for awhile. Therefore, I'll do a couple weeks worth of books. :)

PICTURE BOOKS

This is a fun book for preschoolers, in which they have to find certain objects around NYC to help a boy find his dragon. The illustrations are amazing and you feel like you get a tour of the city in reading the book. Natalie gives it two thumbs up!

Another hit in the Henry and Mudge collection. And...it talks about swimming in your skivvies. Anything that is about underwear incites a giggle-fest in our house. ;)

I thought this was hilarious! Every parent can relate with wanting to climb a tree and not come down when their child is screaming and yelling. It pokes fun at how children are perceived by parents.

A great book for beginning readers about surrounding yourself with books.

This will certainly be added to my classroom library. A funny book about dogs and accepting and recognizing differences. Gaston and Antoinette seemed be in the wrong dog families, but when they trade places things look right but don't feel right. This should appeal to all ages.

This might just be my favorite Henry and Mudge! It's all about snow and winter. I read it to Natalie and she told me she wished it was winter this week. She's my kid!! I love the simple language used by Rylant to express the feel of togetherness when Henry's family is by the fire. So simple, so true. I can't wait for winter to come back!

I love Olivia and this is no exception. Olivia is fed up with all of the girls in her class wanting to be fairy princesses. She wants to be different and unique. In the end, she chooses to be queen. Ha!

CHAPTER BOOKS

I really wanted to like this more. I'm thinking I lost something in the audio version. I do think 5th-6th graders would love it. It's perfect dystopian literature for young people--it's completely appropriate. It's one I'll recommend to my 5th graders.

I've read this before, but it was several years ago. I loved it then and I loved it once again. The sparse language (or "precision of language" as is often referred to in the book) is stunning. Lowry delivers an eery look into what can happen once people relinquish individual liberties in order to ensure a safe, stable environment. I'm looking forward to listening to the other three books in this series.

I've been reading this for a few months during silent reading time at school. The book is about the Cholera outbreak that killed 616 people in one part of London in the mid-1800s. I liked how real people who played crucial roles in solving the mystery of the epidemic were given big roles in the story. The main character, Eel, is a pull-yourself-up-by-your-bootstraps kid who ends up being an assistant to Dr. Snow and determining the outbreak stems from a contaminated water pump. This book isn't for every kid, but one interested in science and mystery would enjoy it.

Oh, I so wanted to like this one more than I did. I truly loved Molly and Kip and their drive, but the rest of the book fell flat for me. I was intrigued by the night gardener and wanted to know more of his back story. I loved Auxier's Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes. I'll stick with recommending that one.

ADULT BOOKS

n the same vein as The Help, this is a story of a young, Southern girl trying to put her family back together, but finding that family is not always related by blood. I especially liked the change over time of Starla (the white Southern protagonist) as she came to know and love Eula (the black, Southern woman with whom Starla finds on her journey).

Oh, I LOVED this one! It reminded me of a Kate Morten book. A mysterious woman in Paris leaves her apartment and small fortune in stocks to an Englishwoman of society. Obviously there is some sort of link between the two, but many more secrets are revealed throughout. A fast historical novel with a sense of intrigue and mystery.

2 comments:

Wow, for even 2 weeks, you managed a lot. I love the Henry & Mudge books, have some of your others on my list, like The Night Gardener & The Great Trouble. I did enjoy The Mark of The Dragonfly, especially that it is a dystopian appropriate for the middles, as you said. There aren't many. Thanks for all!

I'm so happy you're blogging again! :-) So many amazing titles in this list! I thought it was funny when you said anything about underwear incites a giggle-fest in your house. I can picture little Natalie giggling!! Funny that you said you thought maybe The Mark Of the Dragonfly lost a little something in the audio. So many Nerdy Book Club folks loved that book, and I abandoned the audio! I have the book, so I'm going to try reading it next. Of course I loved The Giver and A Snicker of Magic. :-) I wonder how the audio of Snicker is going to be? Loved Whistling Past the Graveyard, and you've intrigued me with The Perfume Collector. I think my mom read and liked it. Happy reading!

About Me

Hi! Glad you stopped by for a bit. I'm a 5th grade teacher with a passion for curriculum development, lesson planning, reading, writing, and instilling the love for all of it in my students. My goal is to share new ideas and student examples with you. Maybe you can get some new strategies and you can comment and leave some for me, too! Enjoy!